This invention relates to a digital loop carrier (DLC) technology and in particular to techniques for seamless transfer of control between active and standby modules in standard telecommunication transport networks having subscriber terminations and network terminations. More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for configuring primary (main) secondary (protect) Internet Protocol (IP) addressable switching equipment to operate transparently with respect to Internet Protocol (IP)-addressable network devices. A particular class of network devices is contemplated, which employ a multiple-port switching subsystem, such as a B-32 M-14 or a S-10 switch manufactured by Fibex Systems of Petaluma, Calif.
According to the invention, replacing the functionality of an active digital loop carrier subsystem (DLCSS) or active module with a standby DLCSS or standby module in an IP addressable telecommunication switch is effected by providing only a single externally-known IP address for the module pair and then swapping the IP address of the active module for the IP address of the standby module so that externally-connected devices recognize only the IP address for the module in use.
The invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings.